A SOUTH CAROLINA FAMILY IS MOURNING AFTER THEIR CHILD DIED SUDDENLY LAST MONTH. (HE) 16-YEAR-OLD DAVIS CRIPE COLLAPSED IN A CLASSROOM – AFTER INVESTIGATORS SAY HE CONSUMED TOO MUCH OF ONE SUBSTANCE — BUT IT WASN'T DRUGS OR ALCOHOL. (MM) JULIANNE PEIXOTO EXPLAINS HOW HIS FAMILY IS HOPING OTHERS CAN LEARN FROM THEIR SON'S TRAGIC DEATH. A CORONER CONCLUDED THAT DAVIS CRIPE DIED OF A CAFFEINE-INDUCED CARDIAC EVENT. WE SPOKE TO A LOCAL EXPERT ABOUT THE DANGEROUS IMPACTS TOO MUCH CAFFEINE CAN HAVE ON A PERSON'S HEART.
APRIL 26TH BEGAN LIKE ANY OTHER WEDNESDAY FOR 16- YEAR-OLD DAVIS CRIPE. AROUND 12:30, HE LEFT SCHOOL TO BUY A LATTE AT A NEARBY MCDONALD'S. AFTER THAT, HE DRANK A DIET MOUNTAIN DEW AND AN ENERGY DRINK. TWO HOURS LATER — CRIPE COLLAPSED AT SCHOOL. HE WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD AT A LOCAL HOSPITAL AN HOUR LATER. "Like all parents we worry about our kids as they grow up. We worry about their safety, their health, especially once they start driving. But it wasn't a car crash that took his life, instead it was an energy drink." CRIPE'S AUTOPSY SHOWED NOTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY — NO UNDIAGNOSED HEART CONDITIONS — NO DRUGS OR ALOCHOL IN HIS SYSTEM. JUST THE THREE CAFFEINATED DRINKS. "I stand before you as a broken- hearted father and hope that something good can come from this.
Parents please talk to your kids about the dangers of these energy drinks" WE SPOKE TO DOCTOR JASON HACK AT RHODE ISLAND HOSPITAL. HE SAID IN A STATEMENT, "In overdose, [caffeine]'s stimulant effects become pronounced and can have wide-ranging effects on the body, particularly the nervous system and the heart including seizures and cardiac arrhythmia." "The death of this young man in South Carolina seems to be a tragic accident and I hope that parents of teens will talk with their children about the potentially dangerous effects of a seemingly harmless substance that's available at every turn. Like many things, safety or injury depends upon the amount of exposure." THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION SAYS 400 MILIGRAMS OF CAFFEINE A DAY IS GENERALLY SAFE FOR MOST ADULTS — BUT ONLY 100 MILIGRAMS IS RECOMMENDED FOR ADOLESCENTS 12 TO 18 YEARS OLD. I'M JULIANNE PEIXOTO, EYEWITNESS NEWS..
